Love is in the Cards

by K. L. Brady

  Mia gasped and covered her mouth.

  "Oh, yeah," Tessa continued. "And while he may try to play Mr. Nice, don't forget that he receives his orders from Dr. Evil. Sometimes, you've got to keep your enemies close. That's why I accepted his invitation to dinner."

  "Dinner? Whaaaat?” she replied. "Humph. Keeping your enemies close has its advantages...and with a man that fine, you should enjoy it immensely."

  "I can only hope so."

  "We're supposed to meet the writers now. Should I tell them you're on the way?"

  "Five minutes."

  Tessa retrieved her Moleskine notebook from her desk and flipped to the page on which she'd drafted ideas for the new line. One, a breakup card inspired by Cody's sayonara, had bitter witch written all over it. She tucked it in her notebook, thanking the heavens that the remnants of her poison pen would never see the light of an Ebony Bookstore.

  Then she left her office with a little extra bounce in her step. With a date on deck, this night would be better than the last, one way or another.

  Her team posted around the table in the conference room, appearing slightly shell-shocked since the big announcement.

  The truth is until they were forced to change office space, the acquisition would have minimal impact on their daily routines. Also, as CEO and creator, she bore the brunt of the hit. That's why she hoped her plan, however risky in the short-term, delivered the results best for everyone involved in the long term.

  "Good morning, all. So just a few things," she began. "First, I met with Kyle Anderson this morning regarding the plans for integration."

  A choir of groans filled the room; the group was led by Destiny. “Integration is code for say goodbye to your office and hello to a cramped cubicle.”

  “We'll have none of that. One positive development was that he decided the move will be phased, a slow-peel Band-Aid approach rather than a rip. I provided him with the designs for our offices, so I'm hoping they’ll provide near-identical space when he's done. Also, you should receive your Hart Enterprise system accesses within a week or so. Any questions so far?"

  "We won't have to swap out computers, will we?" Dion asked. "I've had this one for a year, and I just figured out how to use all the features."

  Tessa cleared her throat. "Ahem. To be honest, I'm not certain. My mind might have wandered once or twice during the conversation. You know, with him droning on."

  She pretended to roll her eyes; in truth, she'd been anything and everything but bored.

  Mia gave her the stink eye.

  "But nobody's coming for your MacBooks if that's what you're worried about. I'll make sure you retain them, even if you receive the Surfaces they use."

  There was a collective sigh of relief.

  "Any other questions?" she paused for a moment, and when no one responded, she continued. "Good. Zeke and Destiny, your revised copy for the special occasion graduation and divorce cards have been submitted to the artists, so congratulations. They will be included in the current line."

  There was a short round of applause.

  "Dion, I actually think your marriage copy would be an ideal starting point for Keep It Real's new line—or at least one of them."

  "One of them?" he asked.

  Tessa wrote the words "kinder" and gentler" on the whiteboard. "Yes, one of the new big ideas. Cody Hart wants Keep It Real to evolve to this: kinder, gentler. That way, we can expand our market share and boost our profits."

  Another wave of groans echoed through the room.

  "My sentiments exactly," Tessa said.

  Zeke pushed his glasses back on the bridge of his nose and raised his pencil in the air. "I don't mean any harm, but we're not Hart. Frankly, the thought of pink flowers, sugar, spice, and everything nice sends me into an allergic shock."

  "Preach, brother," a voice said. She couldn't tell whom.

  "Come on. I came to work for you so I wouldn't have to write that kind of stuff. I chose you; I didn't choose Hart. I say we go hard or go home."

  Go home?

  "Wait a minute. You guys aren't thinking about quitting, are you?" She scanned the room, gauging their reactions.

  No one spoke a word, but everyone answered with the angst in their expressions. For the first time, she genuinely feared losing not only her company but also her team. How could she blame them? They didn't sign up for this acquisition or the results of it. And they were invested in Keep It Real, not Hart.

  The thought of coming to work, and being greeted by resignation letters made her shudder inside. Saving her staff meant doing something drastic—clearly Cody’s “kinder” and “gentler” wouldn't do the trick. She pitched her other concept on the fly and hoped it would they’d bite.

  "I agree with you. That's why I've got another idea. We must change without being a parody of Hart. So, if we want to shake ourselves out of the sales rut, we've got to go hard."

  "Harder?" Mia asked. "I don't mean any harm, but if our messages go any harder, our consumers will need therapy...and some hugs." Then she muttered, "Mailbags."

  "I, for one, am with Tessa. Everything she touches turns to gold...or green, as it were," Judge Judy said. "What's your idea?"

  Mia narrowed her eyes at Tessa because she knew something the rest of the team didn't—focus group research indicated that "go-hard" was too insensitive and would fail miserably out of the gate.

  "Let's face it, guys,"—Tessa paced the room—“The world has gotten a lot meaner and colder. Some people believe you should counter the negativity with love and kindness. But sometimes, when someone’s negativity is consistently cold and lacking empathy, you've got to give it right back. And eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."

  "Can that really work?" Mia asked. "I mean, is that what we really want to be? Is that the vision?"

  The answer in Tessa's heart was no. She didn't want to go harder. She certainly didn't want to send anyone to therapy.

  But she couldn't risk losing everyone...in addition to everything.

  She'd handpicked this well-oiled machine. Rather than lose them, she decided to distract them with this rogue project. Once she regained control of Keep It Real, she’d put an end to it.

  "If any team is capable of leaning into this vision without going overboard, it's you. So, here's what I want"—Tessa paused to watch their reactions—"For the next few weeks, I want you to work on this line. Instead of hardcore, let's call it plain talk or something along those lines."

  "Ooh, that's not bad," Zeke said, his idea lightbulb switched in the full-on position. "Plain Talk...no, no, Real Talk. That's it. Real Talk."

  "Yep, Zeke. I'm picking up what you're putting down," Tessa said. "The copy should read like something you would say to a friend, but only after a shot and a few glasses of chardonnay."

  Everyone's eyes widened, and a few team members chuckled.

  "So, um, question," Bethany began. "Will we be able to distribute these in stores?"

  She nodded. "Our distribution remains unchanged. In the short term, let's not worry about sales. Let's appease Cody Hart and buy ourselves some space to do what we really want. Thus, your charge also is to come up with a few Hart card concepts, 'kinder and gentler'" —she used air quotes—“while quietly developing Real Talk," she said directly to Destiny. The latter’s lips routinely loosened under the influence of a mojito or three.

  "No limits for the Hart Cards. If you can squeeze some love out of your cold hearts, let your mush muses fly free. Everybody clear?"

  Everyone chuckled and nodded.

  "Great. Let's adjourn for now and take this up in a couple of days. I want ideas for both product lines and some sample copy. Now go forth and prosper."

  The room emptied quickly. While Zeke appeared eager to tackle the assignment, the others remained firmly on the fence.

  Mia's icy glare frosted Tessa over. She was vehemently opposed to the idea of the line. She trudged toward Tessa, her face scrunched in a grumble, and whispered, "Tessa, what are you doing? I gav
e you the data for the same collection three months ago the first time you concocted it out of desperation."

  "I know, but—"

  "You may not remember because you haven't actually read it yet. The projections said this idea is not only bad; it's unprofitable. And numbers don't lie."

  "You summarized the data for me, but what could I do?" she asked with a shrug paired with frustration. "They were gonna—“

  "You saw that, too, huh?"

  "I had to give them something," said Tessa. "I couldn't—"

  "I get it. No one wants the team to quit," Mia said. "But this—if you go with Real Talk, you risk tanking the business and losing what little market foothold we have."

  Tessa clenched her eyes shut and took a cleansing breath. "You know I respect your opinion, Mia. But this is my company, my brainchild. Not a single one of us would be standing here if I ever played it safe."

  "Agreed," she said. "But...this tactic could mean—Cody's gonna flip."

  "He won't find out. But if he does, I sure as heck hope he flips. Getting a rise out of him, throwing him off his game—that's when he makes mistakes."

  As Tessa offered Mia a comforting pat on the shoulder, Cody approached, appearing out of nowhere. "Speak of the devil, and he shall appear."

  Mia turned and grumbled. "Talk about timing. Grab me when you're done."

  "Fine, fine," Tessa said to Mia. Then she turned her attention to her visitor. He strolled into the conference room and scanned the board, then her.

  "Kinder. Gentler." Cody's smile, which revealed at least thirty of his teeth, was that of a man who'd just made a critical blunder. He read the words on the whiteboard and assumed he'd won all the battles and the war. "You've taken my message to heart, no pun intended."

  "Uh, well, uh," She clammed up to avoid lying but wait until he found out the truth. "I'm doing what's best for the company."

  After some small talk and idle chit chat to break the tension, Tessa asked. "What brings you here?"

  "A couple of critical issues related to the integration...and, to be honest, I could use your help on a new project."

  "A new project…for Hart Cards?" She jerked her head back. "Do I really want to hear this?"

  Chapter Twelve

  Cody

  * * *

  The focus group had served Cody the answer to his troubles like a snack on a platter. Of course, if the idea failed, he'd choke on this mistake.

  He'd need to sell Tessa on a concept that would pique her creative interest and appeal to her heart. He questioned whether the idea would do the trick, but he'd give it a shot, anyway.

  He arrived at Keep It Real without announcement or fanfare, and used the opportunity to scope the layout. He rambled through the halls, noting familiar touches from his memories of Tessa, only half following the instructions Mabel gave him. As the room numbers drew closer to the one marking his destination, he grew more jittery. The thought of seeing her...she still made his stomach flutter.

  Through her office's frosted glass wall, he caught sight of Tessa's silhouette as Mia lingered in the doorway. His breath stopped in his chest, like it did when he saw her in that blue dress with the butterflies and flowers. Nothing had changed, yet everything was different.

  The office door opened and Mia exited. He passed her and stepped inside first looking at Tessa and then behind her.

  "Kinder and gentler." He read the words aloud from the whiteboard but scarcely believed them. He recognized them as his own. When he first pitched her the ideas for the "pivot" messaging, he thought the message had fallen on deaf ears. But now, in this rare occasion, he believed Tessa had heard him, that she listened, that she respected him as he did her. He congratulated himself for coaxing the mountain toward Muhammad, and then approached Tessa with cautious optimism.

  "You've taken my words to heart...no pun intended." He smiled and jutted his chin toward the board. "I love the scent of miracles in the morning."

  Once upon a time, they lived in synch, moved in the same strides, breathed in the same rhythm. Before Keep It Real and Hart Enterprises, nothing in the world existed except them, cold Ramen noodles, a compact apartment, and their art. Those times were as close as he'd ever come to living his ideal life. He questioned the wisdom of clinging to some faint hope that they could ever return to a place so right...in light of...The Chandra and The Tessa.

  "Oh, yeah. The scent of something's strong in here," she said. "Smells like smug spirit."

  He chuckled and wagged his finger. "I would really adore your sense of humor, if you were funny," he deadpanned before continuing. "But I'm glad you're moving forward with such enthusiasm." He gestured to the board. "I suppose this means you've just finished briefing your team on the marketing pivot. Right?"

  "Umm, yes, we’re pivoting. You're exactly right. I explained your direction, and then provided them with some instruction to follow."

  "How'd it go over? Is everybody sold on the new direction?"

  "Hmm. Well. It's interesting you should ask that question. It's safe to say that after some initial resistance, I corralled the team, and they're mostly excited about the new concept."

  "Mostly?"

  "Well, obviously, there was some well-founded pessimism. Keep It Real didn't make its bones on kinder and gentler."

  "No, you did not. But I really believe—"

  She gave him the hand. "But we...all of us realize that if we are to survive in this sluggish market, we need a new strategy, perhaps even a drastic one. If nothing else, they are consummate professionals. I've no question we're going to be successful as we shift into this new direction. But I could've told you all of this over the phone. What brings you here?"

  "A couple of critical issues related to the integration...and, to be honest, I could use your help on a new project."

  "A project?" She jerked her head back. "Do I want to hear this?"

  "It's business."

  "Just business, huh? After everything that's transpired between us, you drove all the way here to discuss business."

  He knew a loaded question when he heard one. That one weighed about a ton. Her query contained with more truth than he wished to acknowledge. He'd thrust himself back into her life and had offered zero acknowledgement of the way he'd broken off their relationship. Nor would he, at least not in a way that would satisfy Tessa. So, he allowed her a moment to vent.

  "Go ahead and talk about your little project as if we have no history, as if you acquired a stranger's company, as if we parted ways on good terms. Really, you could've spared us both the face-to-face, especially since you designated Kyle as your point-man to keep me in check."

  "Keep you in check? I'm not sure what you mean."

  "Don't play coy. You directed him to come to Sweet Media, serve as your watchdog, and spy on me."

  He maintained a stoic expression and refused to react.

  "C'mon, Cody. I've done my time at Hart Enterprises. I probably know that campus as well as you do."

  His jaw clenched.

  "And Keep It Real shouldn't be much of a stranger to you given you were by my side as I planned Sweet-Hart. Well, you in your own Benedict Arnold way."

  She'd spoken the truth, but he couldn't give her the satisfaction of acknowledging it. So, he did what any red-blooded man would do in a similar situation—deny, deny, deny. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Kyle is the COO and the enterprise operations manager. With Keep It Real being so small"—he dealt a low blow—"you may not understand the complexities of integrating two companies, especially when it comes to technology and communications. That's why he works for me. That's the job I pay him to execute on my behalf."

  "So, the invitation to dinner was all his idea?"

  Cody jerked his head back. A fiery surge burned through him so fast he couldn't restrain it. He could feel his eyes flush with jealousy before his whole expression betrayed him.

  "Whoa. You really had no idea, did you?"

  "I'm a publishing magnate not a pim
p. And, quite honestly, I'm offended by the accusation," he said, half lying and half trying to force back his real reaction.

  "I apologize for being presumptive. Besides, you're in a relationship with whatsherface."

  "Chandra. Yes. And I'm taking her to dinner tonight, so I honestly couldn't care less who you date." He lied, but he would make it true.

  "Under the circumstances, I had to ask. Now, I'm certain I made the right decision."

  "You turned him down?"

  "Of course not. That's why we need to wrap up early. Since we're avoiding the past, let's talk future. What's this project you want to speak to me about?"

  He cleared his throat. The woman before him was not the one he remembered. Once upon a time, she'd never have accepted a dinner invitation from a coworker at any level. Now?

  He scanned her office searching for the words he needed to divert the conversation. He’d gather the nerve to say what he really meant, a difficult feat because she knew him like no other person on the planet. "I like the set up you've got here."

  "Should be familiar. I figured one of us should get some use out of it."

  "You'll have to give this up once your Hart space is complete."

  "Yes, Kyle made that quite clear. He also indicated we could move after he completed the reconfiguration."

  Cody nodded. "We can replicate it. You think you can handle working in the office with me every day without things getting awkward?"

  "Awkward? But, why?" She pursed her burgundy lips and placed her a hand on her hip. "Let see, you broke off our relationship with a handmade Dear Jane card. You've avoided all contact with me for five years, except when you acquired my company without so much as a white flag or an olive branch. Hate to break it to you, but we took a hard left past uncomfortable and now sit squarely in Awkwardville."

  "True."

  "But we're professionals. We'll do what we have to do, right?" She rolled her eyes so completely he wondered if they'd ever return forward. "Anyway, you were saying?"

  "I want to expand the Hart line."

  "A new line? You’ve got cotton candy, puppies, and roses covered. Let me guess. You're adding fluffy white clouds and rainbows? Nobody does that better than you."